Hungary is working to build relations with Kazakhstan not only on a national level but also within the Visegrad Four by establishing a V4 cooperation platform.

Mihály Varga, minister for National Economy, stated that forum will be organized as soon as the Hungarian presidency comes into force on July 1.

Following talks with Kazakh foreign minister Kairat Abdrakhmano, the politicians welcomed the fact that the 25th anniversary of the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries was marked by the re-launching of direct flights between Budapest and Astana, and the opening of the Hungarian pavilion at the EXPO.

Minister Varga said that Hungary had opened honorary consulates in Aktovbe and Simkent last year, and the number of Kazakh students at Hungarian universities was set to rise from 45 last year to 200 this year.

Meanwhile, Minister Abdrakhmanov highlighted the fact that MOL Ltd, which has been operating in Kazakhstan since 2004, has so far invested 200 million USD in the country, and said the country has been a key element on MOL’s exploration and extraction portfolio.

The Hungarian pavilion’s motto is solar energy, symbolized by the Tree of Life. In his presentation of products and innovations exhibited at the expo, the minister said visitors could gain insight into new research results achieved in the field of energy savings and energy efficiency; renewable energies, cutting-edge architectural inventions and e-mobility.